(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for the exercise, education, feeding and entertainment of birds. More specifically it relates to a device in the form of a frangible housing which contains treats which are visible to the bird, but initially unreachable, and which a bird may learn to obtain by breaking through the frangible housing, with the resultant exercise of its beak and the reward of the bird with the treats stored therein.
(b) Discussion of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art that a large variety of bird exercisers and amusement toys have been provided for the enjoyment of domestic caged birds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 455,042 to Hendryx discloses a bird cage with a swinging porch activating a bell, while a bird actuated bell support is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,937 to Herman, a parakeet exercise perch is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,937 to Winton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,714 to Ingraham et al. shows a multi-element bird exerciser and amusement toy, and a tree apparatus for exercising a bird is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,384 to Courteau. In each of these prior art devices the play and/or exercise aspect of the mechanism is its sole function, and none of the devices serves to either educate or feed the bird.
Various forms of domestic caged bird and animal feeders are also well known in the art. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,592,493 to Kelly, a bird feeder of wire screen designed to hold fat or suet while allowing a bird to reach the food between the openings without destroying the wire is taught, while U.S. Pat. No. 1,899,508 to Klein discloses a resilient perch for use with an open feed cup, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,096 to Whitty also discloses a feeder having a wire bar structure which allows a small animal to eat food through and between the bars, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 262,746 to Harris also appears to teach an animal feeder which allows an animal to reach food through openings in a mesh structure. In each of these prior art feeding mechanisms the feeding aspect of the device is its sole function, the food is readily visible and accessible, and its use requires only nominal effort by the animal. The devices are made of non-frangible metal or plastic, and none require that the bird or animal learn to search and break through a portion of the device to reach the food, or serves to provide the feeding animal with exercise. Clearly, none of the above mentioned prior art patents disclose a combined bird exerciser, educator, feeder and toy in a single, simple structure.